Hydrofracking debated at hearing in Binghamton

View full sizeCasey Staff / Press & Sun-Bulletin, via APProtesters of natural gas drilling gather outside of The Forum prior to the start of a hearing held by the New York Department of Environmental Conservation on Thursday afternoon in downtown Binghamton.

BINGHAMTON, N.Y. (AP) — Speakers at a state hearing on natural gas drilling Thursday drew conflicting images of the industry’s impact in nearby Pennsylvania, with drilling advocates touting jobs and prosperity and opponents describing a despoiled landscape and ruined water wells.

With frequent interruptions for catcalls and applause, only 63 people got a chance to weigh in on proposed natural gas-drilling rules during a three-hour hearing attended by more than 1,000 people Thursday in Binghamton, the expected epicenter of drilling in New York’s part of the Marcellus Shale.

Stephen Herz, a Broome County legislator, farmer, and former teacher, said his former students have been unable to find employment near home but some quickly found well-paying jobs in the natural gas business in Pennsylvania, where Marcellus Shale development has been under way since 2008.

“Our farms are shutting down and being sold to speculators. Our rural areas, quite frankly, are becoming wastelands. We’re laying off teachers, curtailing programs,” Herz said. He said natural gas development would provide much-needed jobs and revenues.

Craig Sautner, one of 11 homeowners from Dimock, Pa., suing Cabot Oil & Gas over contamination of their wells, offered a cautionary tale to those who think drilling has been a blessing in Pennsylvania. “I’ve been living with a contaminated well now for more than three years,” he said.

Chris Oliver of Bainbridge, member of the Central New York Landowners Coalition, said his group spent three years investigating claims about gas-drilling problems and decided the claims were overblown. “We’ve come to an informed, educated conclusion,” he said. “We are pro-drilling, pro-fracking, and most of all, pro landowner rights.”

At one point, the proceedings at the Forum theater paused for several minutes as police removed a protester who unfurled a banner expressing opposition to the process of extracting the gas, known as fracking. No signs were allowed inside.

Hours before the hearing even started, supporters and opponents of drilling were rallying for their respective causes as they lined up outside.

View full sizeCasey Staff / Press & Sun-Bulletin, via APSupporters of natural gas drilling gather outside of The Forum prior to the start of a hearing held by the New York Department of Environmental Conservation on Thursday afternoon in downtown Binghamton.

The hearing was the latest in a series of eight being held over four days by the state Department of Environmental Conservation. The first hearings were held Wednesday in the Finger Lakes, and the last two are slated for the end of the month in Sullivan County and New York City. The agency is also accepting in writing until Dec. 12 more detailed and technical comments on the state’s 1,537-page environmental analysis and regulatory proposal.

Hydraulic fracturing, or hydrofracking, involves injecting millions of gallons of chemical-laced water into a gas well to free gas from dense shale a mile underground. Opponents say there’s too much risk that drinking water could be contaminated, but the industry and supporters say the practice has been employed safely for decades, albeit on a smaller scale.

Officials leading the Binghamton hearing implored the audience to refrain from reacting to individual speakers so that more people would have a chance to comment; speakers are being limited to three-minute segments.

While some local officials spoke in favor of gas development, citing the economic advantages, others, including Binghamton Mayor Matthew Ryan and two state lawmakers from the Southern Tier, expressed concerns about potential health and community impacts.

Drilling opponents cited a variety of concerns, including the placement of wells, violation of mortgage contracts, a lack of a comprehensive health impact study, and no provision for communities to ban drilling.

Supporters touted jobs, tax income, and property rights. “My constituents are not the inconsiderate, greedy money grabbers that some try to make them out to be,” said Loretta Sullivan, a Tioga County legislator. “They’re thoughtful stewards of their land, looking for a reasonable and responsible opportunity to keep themselves afloat and keep their families intact.”

Ellen Harrison of Caroline, a member of Fleased, a group of landowners who regret having signed gas leases before they learned enough about the industry, said she’s unhappy with many aspects of the proposed regulations, including the setback requirements for residential wells. “Many of us who signed leases are now against drilling,” Harrison said. “We had no idea we could no longer get mortgages on our property ... We had no idea we could no longer get homeowners’ insurance.”

Several speakers questioned why the watersheds of New York City and Syracuse were placed off-limits to drilling in the proposed regulations, but other water supplies were not. “What’s the difference between New York City kids and my kids?” said Kim Jastremski of Cooperstown, holding up two photos of children.

People started lining up outside the downtown theater several hours before the hearing began in hopes of getting one of the speaking slots. Police erected barriers to corral pro-drillers on one end of the block and anti-drillers on the other. Both sides tried to outshout each other.

Gas-drilling advocates bellowed “Drill baby drill” through a bullhorn and opponents chanted “No fracking way.” The opponents, bolstered by members of statewide environmental groups, outnumbered the proponents by about four to one.

“I’m all for natural gas drilling coming into New York,” said Neil Vitale, an organic dairy farmer and member of the Steuben County Landowners’ Coalition. “I live five miles from the Pennsylvania border and I’ve seen how natural gas leases have been a lifesaver for farmers there.”

Calin Riffle of Narrowsburg carried a poster with photos of three glasses of murky water that she said came from taps in Dimock, Pa., where some residential wells were contaminated by gas-drilling activity. “We don’t want to see the same thing happen here,” she said.